A leading Meghalaya pressure group on Sunday wrote to the Union Home minister Amit Shah to “reject” the request of the embattled vice-chancellor of the North Eastern Hill University for adequate Central security force as security provided by the state government on the Shillong campus of the varsity was “insufficient”.

The letter to Amit Shah by the Hynñiewtrep Integrated Territorial Organization (HITO) comes amid the ongoing protest by NEHU students, supported by the varsity faculty and staff, who are demanding the removal of the VC, Prabha Shankar Shukla, allegedly over his failure as an administrator and issues related to recruitment.

The NEHU Students’ Union (NEHUSU) launched an indefinite hunger strike on November 6 seeking the “resignation” of the VC and the removal of the registrar and the deputy registrar. They suspended their hunger strike after 16 days but continued with their sit-in protest seeking the “removal” of the VC, prompting the Union education ministry to set up a two-member inquiry committee to probe the charges against the VC, who went on a 14-day leave on November 15 and is scheduled to rejoin office on Monday.

The HITO in its two-page letter to Shah on Sunday said, “It has come to our attention that the Vice Chancellor has sought assistance from the Home Ministry to provide him with security personnel from the Central Armed Forces. He claims that the security measures currently in place, provided by the Meghalaya State Government, are insufficient for someone of his stature.”

The letter added: “We wish to express our deep concerns over this request, which we believe lacks a valid foundation. The Central Armed Forces are entrusted with the vital role of safeguarding our nation’s integrity and should not be diverted for the exclusive use of one individual. We fear that if Mr. Shukla is granted access to such significant manpower, he may misuse it to exert undue influence over students and faculty members, potentially using these forces to serve his personal agendas. The Vice Chancellor has repeatedly demonstrated a tendency toward arrogance and has misused his authoritative position on multiple occasions.”

Shukla in a letter to the education ministry this week, where he stated his leave ends on November 29 and that he will resume office from Monday, had alleged that “certain miscreants from various associations of the university, through the in-charge vice chancellor, are unlawfully managing campus operations, daily life and issuing unauthorised orders and circulars”.

“In light of the prevailing conditions on the NEHU campus, I kindly request adequate security support from the Central Government, as the security provided by the State Government has been insufficient. This deployment will not only ensure my safety but will also contribute to the overall security of the NEHU campus and its employees.”

The request for adequate security could have been triggered by the attack on the official residence of the VC on November 19, sources said. He escaped unhurt. Prof. N. Saha is currently the acting VC.

Though the education minister has extended the term of the two-member inquiry committee by 15 days, the mood on the campus is anti-Shukla with students, faculty and staff firm on Shukla’s removal. Leading student organisations of the state and even the state BJP are backing the demand for his removal.

Following the vandalisation of Shukla’s official residence, Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K. Sangma reached out to the Union education minister on November 10 and requested him to find an “amicable solution”. The ministry formed the two-member committee on November 14 and granted it an extension of 15 days on November 30.